Chapter 4 – Recession of Aggression

- July, 2003 -

Dean stood outside on the front porch with the neck of a beer bottle swinging between his fingers. It had been empty for almost ten minutes but he was too lazy to walk into the kitchen and grab a cold one out of the fridge. They had been spending almost every waking moment at Bobby's. His father was constantly hovering over a map while Bobby had his face buried in ancient books. A grin slowly crossed his lips as he thought about Sam and how much like Bobby he was, constantly diving into books to find out what they needed to know. Dean hadn't realized how much he had missed his brother until now. Sam just had to go to college, live out the American dream. Dean wasn't meant for that life, and as much as he wanted Sam on the road with him and as much as it hurt him not to have his brother along side of him, Dean knew that as long as Sam was safe and happy, there was nothing else he could ask for.

"Dean, you better be doing more than just drinking a beer," John's deep voice traveled to him outside. "We have a lot to do before we start hunting this thing."

Not helping rolling his eyes, Dean sighed and walked back inside from the warm South Dakota air. If this was summer, he hated to see what winter was like. He stayed as far south as he could when the winter months came. He wanted to see more skin and less of the snow covered mountains. A wider grin spread as he thought of college girls traipsing across the beach in barely nothing there bikinis. What he wouldn't give to be in Florida at Daytona right about now.

"Dean!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."

Just as he began to walk through the foyer of Bobby's house, he stopped short as he noticed a shadow cross the floor in the kitchen. Peering through the doorway and into the living room, he saw Bobby and his father hovering over a table, picking and poking at the ancient map that sat on it. The wheels in Dean's head began to turn and smoke as he wondered who was walking around the kitchen. Moving stealthily, Dean made his way toward the kitchen and leaned on the doorway as he peered inside.

The refrigerator door was open and a figure was bent over, peering inside. By the way the tight blue jeans hugged every curve of the body, Dean knew that the figure was a really well-shaped woman. Drool was practically falling from his mouth as he watched her sway her hips back and forth as she dug for something inside the icebox. If the woman had the face to go along with the body, Dean knew he was going to get lucky.

"Hey, Bobby…where the hell is the rest of the…oh, never mind!"

Plucking a bottle of beer out of the fridge, the young woman stood up and closed the door. She didn't pay any attention to Dean as she popped off the cap and took a long swig of the cool liquid. Dean watched her curiously as he took in every curve and every inch of her. She was the definition of beautiful and he couldn't believe Bobby had been hiding her for as long as he had been. Auburn locks hung loosely about her shoulders while full, red lips accentuated the caramel-colored eyes that seemed to shimmer in the light cascading in through the window.

He smirked and gestured to the fridge. "Can you grab me a beer?"

An annoyed look passed over the young woman's face as he stood there trying to figure out what he had said wrong. "Do I look like a maid to you?"

"What? I was just asking for you to grab me a beer. Is that too hard for you to do?"

Dean took a step forward as the young woman moved in front of him. They both stared at one another, waiting for the other to back down. He had no idea what her problem was, but it was as if something had crawled up her ass.

"How hard is it for you to walk across the kitchen and grab it yourself?"

"About as hard as it is for you to shut your trap and just grab me a damn beer."

She smirked and before he knew what had happened, a balled up fist slammed right into his jaw, knocking him backwards. Just as he righted himself, a foot planted itself into his stomach, sending him to one knee. Dean gasped for air as he watched, through squinted eyes, the young woman walk right past him and into the living room – joining his father and Bobby. He listened to the muffled voices as he tried to get the air back into his lungs and try to ignore the throbbing in his chin.

"Abigail, what did you do?" Bobby asked, with a fatherly tone in his voice.

"What do you mean, 'what did I do'? He was an egotistical pig that should have gotten his own damn beer."

His father's laughter was something he wasn't expecting. "Oh, this is going to be fun, Bobby. I sure as hell hope you know what you're doing."

"What is he talking about, Bobby?"

Dean finally stood on steady feet and quickly grabbed a beer from the fridge. Rather than opening it, he held it to his already bruising chin. He stepped from the kitchen and into the living room, seeing his father, Bobby, and the woman who apparently could kick ass, staring at him.

"Mind telling me who the bitch is with the left hook that should be saved for a boxing ring?"

"Go ahead and say that again, junior, because you'll have a black eye that joins the welt on your chin," she rebutted.

"That's enough, you two," John scolded. He ignored the glares from both Dean and the young woman as he glanced between them. "You two better get used to one another. Dean, that means you need to respect her as a fellow hunter…"

The young woman laughed and shook her head in disgust. "This is Dean Winchester? Well, this is just great. I'm in the presence of perfection. The infamous Dean Winchester is here and I should be bowing down before him."

"Abigail, that is enough!" Bobby yelled, his voice stern. "Dean is a damn fine hunter. I know you've heard all of the rumors, but you need to let them go. Just because he gets along with the ladies…" Bobby sighed as Dean grinned. "…doesn't mean you need to treat him like he's nothing. He can show you a thing or two."

"Yeah," Dean agreed.

"Dean," John interjected before anything else was said, "this is Abigail Singer. Her friends call her Abby."

"Does that mean I get to call her Gail?" Dean questioned, but received a cold stare from Bobby. "What? She can have a go at me but I can't say anything?"

Abby moved away from the group and pushed through the backdoor and walked outside. Bobby sighed and Dean saw the frustration cross over the old hunter's face. He had never known Bobby to get so flustered when it came to Dean's humor, but now it was as if Dean had to walk on pins and needles around this new addition to the ranks. Dean knew he couldn't do that. If someone was going to get along with him, they had to get used to his humor. Too bad and so sad if they couldn't. But as John grasped Dean's arm firmly, Dean knew there was more than meets the eye with Abby.

"You need to take it easy on Abby," John warned.

Dean shook his head. "I'm not going to take it easy on some stuck up bitch that thinks she can hunt. Forget it, dad. If she wants to be a hunter, she's going to have to suck it up and walk along side the big boys."

"She is one of the big boys, Dean. She's been involved with demons since she was four…much like you. What's worse is that you two have more in common than you think."

"Oh really?" he asked. "And what exactly do we have in common? Apparently both of our egos can't both fit in the same room."

"That was an admission if I ever heard one," Bobby muttered under his breath.

Dean glared at Bobby while John continued. "Listen, Dean. I need you to get to know her. Befriend her for all I care, but just learn to get along with her. You two will be spending a lot of time together and it would help if the two of you weren't at each other's throats all the time."

"What the hell do you mean we're spending a lot of time together!?"

"Told you he was going to freak out, Bobby."

"Dad, what the hell are you talking about?!"

Bobby finally moved away from the table and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Peering over his shoulder, Bobby glanced out the window watching Abby pace the yard, appearing to be trying to find something. Turning his attention back to Dean, Bobby cleared his throat while John moved back to the table, making lines on the map that made absolutely no sense.

"This hunt isn't a normal hunt, Dean, and it's going to take two teams to try and narrow this down. Your dad and me decided that we were going to head to the coast. We need to corner this son of a bitch and it isn't going to work if we're just looking like we're chasing our tails."

Dean shook his head. "What the hell does this have to do with me and the chick outside?"

"The chick outside happens to be my daughter and she has a name."

It was as if all the air in the room had been sucked out. Dean stood there, dumbfounded and silent. He had absolutely no idea what to say to Bobby. If Abby was his daughter, why hadn't his father mentioned it before? They were the same age and did exactly the same thing. Maybe that's why it was more like a clash of the titans than Playboy of the Month. They were too alike to even think about seeing eye-to-eye.

"Bobby, I…"

Bobby just held up a hand and stopped Dean from speaking. "I don't have time for the squabbling between the two of you that I know is bound to happen. I need for the two of you to focus on this hunt. I don't honestly care if the two of you get along or not. We need to find this son of a bitch and kill it before it does more harm than good."

"What exactly are we hunting?"

"That's the problem," John piped in. "We know it's a demon. We know it's an evil bastard. The problem is, is that we have no idea which demon it is and why its here. We need to figure that out, but he's moved too fast for us to corner it. If we split up, maybe we'll find it before it finds us."

Dean glanced back and forth between them before asking, "You don't think it's the demon that killed mom, do you?"

John hung his head. "No, Dean, I don't."

The sorrow that had been building inside of him since the fire grew larger. For years, his father had been hunting the bastard that had killed his mother and changed their lives forever. Instead, it was as if they had been hunting nothing more than a ghost. Even though they had been chasing the things that went bump in the night, Dean was beginning to wonder if the demon truly did exist. He trusted his father with everything that he was, but there were some days that the doubts he had consumed him.

Shaking his head, he freed himself of any doubts and focused on what was at hand. "So you want me and…Abby…to go after this thing while you do the same?"

"This demon," John continued, "is big. Dean, this isn't going to be a normal hunt. As much as I want us to be together on this one, Bobby thinks it might be best if him and I take the west coast while you and Abby take the east. The faster we find this thing the better."

Dean nodded in agreement. "You haven't been wrong before. Why start now, huh?"

John and Dean shared a laugh as Bobby moved in front of the window. Dean watched as Bobby kept an eye on Abby. Bobby would have mentioned if he had a daughter, so Dean could only begin to assume that he had taken Abby under his wing and trained her to the best of his ability. Abby had to have some damn good reflexes for both his father and Bobby to trust them to work together on a hunt when they hadn't even truly gotten along in the first five minutes they were in each other's presence. Or maybe Bobby just wanted him to look after Abby to keep her out of trouble.

"We can figure out all of the details later," Bobby finally said. "Right now, I think its best you two get to know one another. You guys are going to be on the road for a long time and if you don't start to get along now, it's going to be a rough road."

"Dad, where the hell is the Camaro?! In a junk yard full of cars, how the hell can you hide a '69 Camaro?"

As Abby rounded the corner of several stacked station wagons and a Jeep Wrangler, she stopped short once she saw the sight in front of her. Groaning and rolling her eyes, she stormed forward and didn't care if her father saw what she was about to do.

"Get the hell off of my car, Winchester! You don't see me throwing myself onto the hood of your '67 Impala now, do you?"

Dean couldn't help but smirk as he slid off of the hood, but remained leaning against it. "I wouldn't mind it. Nice little red bikini and some high heels..."

"God you are such a macho, egotistical bastard!" she screamed.

Her fingers ran down the length of the fire engine red Camaro with black racing stripes. She couldn't help but grin as she took in all of its beauty. Pushing him out of the way, she listened to him chuckle as she opened up the hood of the car. Abby placed her hands on either side and peered in. Every time she tried to start the car it wouldn't turn over. No matter what she did or how many things she replaced, she still couldn't get the damn car to start. But feeling Dean's eyes staring at her, she tried not to cringe and just focus on the task at hand.

"Do you even know what you're looking at?"

Abby bit her lip, almost drawing blood. She found her center and decided that it was time to beat Dean Winchester at his own game.

"1969 Chevy Camaro Z28 with a V-8 engine and 850-cfm four barrel carburetor. It has a F41 suspension and can run a quarter mile in 14.8 seconds at 101 miles per hour. It can go 0-60 in 7.4 seconds." As she peered over his shoulder and saw his wide eyes, she smirked and went back to tinkering with the spark plugs. "Did I pass your test, Mr. Winchester?"

"That was…impressive."

"Glad to hear it." Climbing behind the wheel, she tried to turn on the engine but she growled when it didn't even turn over. She turned it again, but still nothing happened. Hitting the wheel, she yelled, "Damn it!"

"Something the matter?"

Abby sighed and slid out of the driver's side. "No matter what I do, I can't get her to start. She won't even turn over."

Dean leaned over the engine and began to adjust the spark plugs and a few other things. He adjusted the battery cables before glancing up at Abby. "Did you replace the spark plugs and battery?"

"Trust me, genius, I tried all of that. This isn't my first rodeo. I do know what I'm doing under the hood of a car."

"Just try it again, hot shot."

Cranking the engine, she listened as her baby whined even when she gave it gas. Abby moved to the front of the car, she watched as Dean fiddled with a few wires. He held out a hand as if waiting for something to be put in the palm of it.

"You have a screwdriver on you?"

Pulling one out of her back pocket, she put it into his hand. "You figure it out?"

"I saw some sparks as you cranked it the last time. I think you got a loose wire."

Giving him some room, Abby took a step back and watched as Dean practically climbed into the engine. His muscles flexed beneath the thin, tight black t-shirt that he wore. It was already clinging to his skin from the heat and sweat that she could just imagine was covering his body. His tight jeans hugged just the right curves and she cursed herself for even looking at him in the way she was. He was Dean Winchester and the rumors and reputation that came along with the name couldn't just be erased away. She hated that she found him attractive, but she would be damned if she would be like every other sex crazed woman that fell at his feet.

"There," he said, wiping his hands on his pants. "I think I got it. Go ahead and try to start it."

In a way, she hoped that it wouldn't start. She hoped that it remained dead as much as she wanted to hear her baby purr like it was supposed to. But even as the key turned, she listened to the engine rev and turn over. The slamming of the hood had her turning her attention from the sound of her baby coming to life to the smirk on Dean's face. Rolling her eyes, she kept it running as she blasted the radio. His head slowly began to bop to the beat of 'Back in Black'.

Climbing out of the car, she slammed the door shut and leaned against it. "Reveling in your victory, Winchester?"

"Only in the fact that you won't admit that you needed help, Singer."

"Wow, he knows my name. Bet you that's a first."

Abby couldn't help but chuckle when she saw the look on Dean's face. Snatching the screwdriver out of his hand, she slid onto the hood of her baby and watched as Dean studied her. She wasn't sure if she liked it, but if they were going to be spending as much time together as Bobby had warned her about, she would have to get used to it.

"What?"

Dean just smiled and gestured to her Camaro. "I hope you're not too attached to her, because if you think you're driving, you're dead wrong."

"Who said anything about me driving with you? Maybe I'll race you."

Her breath caught in her throat as his hands became planted on either side of her. Dean leaned down, hovering just inches from her face. It was so tempting to just kiss him and shock the hell out of him, but why push it?

"Do you really think you can win?" he questioned playfully.

Abby couldn't help but grin. "I don't lose."

- Present Time -

Dean groaned as he slowly began to pull from unconsciousness. He felt the coolness of steel against his skin. Peering up through squinted eyes, he saw his wrists bound by chain. Despite his struggling, Dean knew there was no way he was going to break free of whoever was holding him hostage. No sunlight filtered in through the windows yet it wasn't night. He was beginning to wonder just where in the hell he was.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, Dean."

His teeth ground together without even trying. Dean felt his blood beginning to boil as he forced his head to tilt up and stare into the eyes of the one woman he thought he'd never see again. Yet, it wasn't her which made him that much angrier. Lilith had taken over a body that shouldn't have been tainted in such a way. Struggling against the chains, he felt it dig deeper into his skin, but it didn't matter to him. Dean needed to feel the pain to know that he was suffering along with her.

"Don't like the body?" Lilith asked, smirking evilly. "I thought you'd enjoy seeing it. I rather enjoy inhabiting it."

"You bitch!"

Lilith clicked her tongue against her teeth, as if scolding Dean. He struggled even harder, but found no way of loosening the chain. His chest rose and fell with a speed he didn't think possible. There were too many bad thoughts swimming around in his head. Abby…he couldn't let her suffer although Dean knew she already was.

"What do you want with me?" Dean demanded.

Lilith shrugged as a shadow moved across the wall behind her. Dean noticed a larger man stand near the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. There was something about the man that Dean found familiar but couldn't place.

"Alastair is an old friend of yours, Dean. I know he'll be able to take care of you if you get out of line. I know that you don't recognize him, but you will be able to tell just exactly who he is when the time is right." Lilith took a step toward Dean and she smiled as he flinched at his touch. "I have many plans for you, Dean. I had many more in the pit but I guess that little plan was thwarted when that angel pulled you out. Rather convenient. It always seems to go that way for you, doesn't it? Unfortunately for you, you won't get out of this one as easily."

"Castiel saved me from the pit," he stated. "He'll find Sam and I'll be out of here before you can turn your eyes white."

"Not before I burn your insides out…like poor old Bobby."

His cheeks turned hot before he could stop himself. "You killed Bobby?! You let Abby kill Bobby?!"

"Oh, I killed him and I rather enjoyed it. Abby, on the other hand, was crying like a baby inside. It was satisfying."

"You cold hearted bitch!" Dean yelled. "I'm going to send you back to Hell and make sure you burn for eternity."

Lilith said nothing else and gestured to Alastair. Dean felt fear rise in the pit of his stomach. The smell of Alastair was becoming all too familiar. He didn't remember much about Hell, but he had a feeling he was about to. The first slam didn't register until Alastair slammed his fist into Dean's face again, breaking his nose. Blood gushed down his face – warm and sticky. Dean did everything in his power to try and keep conscious, but it was slowly beginning to slip away.

"We have much to discuss, Dean. But maybe you'll be more cooperative on the next time around. After all, I think I have a few things that I'll be holding against you to gain the information I need. And you will give it to me, Dean. I can guarantee that. Who needs Sam when I have the great Dean Winchester?"

Dean feared what was coming. While the world faded to black around him, he thought about everything that Lilith could hold against him. No one knew about Abby, especially Sam. But how many times could he sell his soul to save the one he loved? Between Abby and Sam…could Dean save them both?